Made my Choice...Now what??

Well I have done my research and I feel that an XD Service is what is going to make me happy. Now as I am only 23, 500 is a stretch for my budget a bit. What extra costs am I going to incur besides ammo($10 per 100 rounds). I need to be prepared because I think it will be fun for my friends and I to go to the range on the weekends but I don't want to not be able to go because I don't have the money. Lets say I spend 600 when it is said and done to get the gun and 30 per range visit. That is it right?

Also, is 1 gun enough for 3 or 4 people to go to the range and not get so bored they want to kill themselves?(especially since the means are so accessible)

You shouldnt be paying 600 for an XD, 500 is about right. You also wont incur many expenses once you get the pistol besides a simple cleaning kit and that is probably around 10 bucks. BUT i don't know how you are going to get 100 rds for $10 so you may want to look into those ammo costs. Also, depending on whether or not you plan to carry you may have to sink some cash into a holster and that can range from $15 to well over $100.

opinion

3-4 people shooting 1 gun? Am I reading that correctly?
100rds divided by 4= 25rds each
1hr and you are done
XD is a good weapon; divide the weapon among 4; fun factor for you is diminished. In my opinion

3 or 4 newbs may be able to go to the range and have fun with one gun, but I doubt the arrangement would last long-term. It's far more fun when you don't have to wait to punch paper, once the excitement of your first range trip is no longer a factor.

I personally shoot between 150 and 250 rounds per range trip, depending on when my last visit was, what I'm practicing (double-tap drills go through ammo quickly; 25yd marksmanship practice and mock CHL qualifications somewhat less so). That's just me, just through one gun. A 250-pack of 9mm Rem UMCs costs about $45 nowadays (it used to be $36 ); 22LR Remington G.B.s for my Buckmark are far cheaper at $12 for 575. Range fees for non-members are $17, and targets are a quarter apiece for the range's standard 2-target sheet (you get 1 free per visit and I usually buy 4 more), and $1.50 for specialized targets like B-27s, silhouettes, 5-circle DT, numbered grids for called fire, etc. I usually get one of those per visit. So, my average trip can cost anywhere from about $30 for .22 plinking to over $60 for 9mm. You can get away with $30 per trip in a defensive caliber especially if you shoot outlaw (out in the middle of nowhere where nobody will complain about noise or bullets), but the ammo's gotta be cheap and you won't shoot much of it, especially if you bring friends. And forget testing your defensive loads if you have them; at close to a dollar a round, going through a single clip might eat half your budget.

In addition to ammunition and range time, you have to clean and lube your gun regularly. I field-strip mine after every outing. You can buy a cleaning kit for $7 that'll keep you going quite a while, but there's far better-quality solvents and lube than what comes in the average kit, and you'll need to restock on patches, solvent, oil and swabs as you use them.

Make sure you get good-quality earmuffs. Earplugs are good for one or two visits, but you'll recoup your earmuff investment (about $15-30 is all you need) pretty quickly.

This is what I do...

For some reason, at first none of my friends seemed to own guns, so I am in a similar predicament.

I'd get 2-3 magazines (bullet-holding ones / not Newsweek or Cosmo) and then everyone can re-fill their magazine while one person shoots - this way ev1 is always doing something. The magazine loading will eat up alot of time; especially if you guys don't have alot of experience. Also, I think some ranges don't want you to quadruple up on a lane, so you might have to see if its a problem with'em.

This will probably only be a temporary problem though because, usually, I have noticed that I only have to take a friend to the range once b4 they go "man, I want a gun!"

BTW, Congrats on the XD. If Springfield was good enough for George Washington, it's good enough for me.

If it were me I would just take one friend at a time and let them buy 100rds of ammo and I'll buy 100rds. Of course this excludes taking super models of the opposite sex and then I might pay for everything. Good Luck.

OK, so clearly I was way off on ammo cost. There is an indoor range here that costs $8 per visit. So lets say that I go to the range and shoot 250 rnds which I think is a lot, plus another 2 bucks in targets, I am looking at about 55 bucks. That is a lot of money. I think that is why it would be good to go with a friend or 2. If we each shot 150 rnds each, we can stay a little longer and still have a good time. I think I could handle every other saturday spending 35-40 bucks.

Well either way, I'm not gonna buy a 22 obviously, I saw the gun for 509 today, plus probably 40 bucks in tax. It was the XD tactical. Is this a good price? And as for the mentioned M&P. I did like it but not as much as the XD, I'm going to shoot them both next week so I will let you know what I think then.

OK, so clearly I was way off on ammo cost. There is an indoor range here that costs $8 per visit. So lets say that I go to the range and shoot 250 rnds which I think is a lot, plus another 2 bucks in targets, I am looking at about 55 bucks. That is a lot of money.

Simple, get a better job and buy all the ammo you want.

It's a hobby and with having a hobby, there's the investment. Having your friends pitch in would help out too.

You may also wish to invest in a holster. It's a lot more convenient to put the gun in a holster than just lay it on the shelf. Also, your friends may wish to rent a gun and split the cost, 2 people per lane is usually not an issue. I also shoot about 200 rounds per visit, but this is with a couple of different guns.

509 seems pretty high, there's usually pretty good wiggle room on those prices if you know how to ask. And I know you said you obviously wouldn't buy a .22, but depending on what your intended use for the gun is that may very well be your best choice. If you want a pistol for home/personal defense, no a .22 is not a good option, but if you just want a gun to go to the range and get in some trigger time, a .22 is boatloads cheaper. The gun is a couple hundred dollars less and ammo is like 5 times cheaper.